NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. war in the Middle East is the subject of a new exhibit at the Louisiana National Guard museum in New Orleans.
It's called "Global War on Terror: The Louisiana National Guard and the 21st Century Warfight."
"We aimed to capture both the war overseas and the impacts on the home front by integrating patron-immersed experiences such as touch screen maps, a mini theater and interactive oral history booths where LANG Soldiers and Airmen recollect on their participation during the past 15 years," said Maj. Heather Englehart, director of the museum.
The exhibit opened Friday at the Ansel M. Stroud, Jr. Military History and Weapons Museum at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans.
In addition, the museum is still showing 12 portraits of veterans painted by internationally recognized Brooklyn-based artist Nina Talbot. It also has exhibits dedicated to the guard's involvement during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as well as a collection of historic weapons, uniforms and other artifacts dating back to the late 1700s.
Ian Graham, a high school history teacher in New Orleans who deployed to Iraq in 2005 with the LANG's 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery Regiment, has an old uniform as well as some other effects that are featured in the display. He stressed the importance of having historical events commemorated in a museum.
"There are different ways you can study," said Graham. "A museum is more practical; the artifacts are tangible. It's important to have an unbiased source to form an opinion on an event, and the museum is exactly that – an unbiased room of evidence."
The museum is open from 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and closed on select holidays.
